Cape Split

Ever since I moved to this area I've heard about the challenging hike to Cape Split, half a day's trek over rough terrain, uphill, and kind of wild! But, oh, when you come out of the woods into a meadow at the top and see the vast Bay of Fundy stretching before you and you gaze down from atop the cliffs, it will all be worth it as you relax with your lunch and listen to the gulls cry, and watch the changing tides! But, I've been told, don't go after a rainy period or the bugs will eat you alive, or alternatively, you'll be slogging through oozy black bogs. And don't go on a cold day or a foggy one because you won't see anything out there and you'll be disappointed.

Well, after several attempts to line up a group to go on "just the right day," I found it yesterday: the perfect day, not a cloud in the sky and not too hot, and the perfect group of three amenable companions. We were off bright and early and had the most wonderful day, arriving back home in late afternoon, tired but strangely energized. Perhaps it was climbing over the fallen trees, perhaps it was managing the boggy spots without disaster; perhaps it was simply getting there and back without twisting ankles on the tree roots covering the trail; or perhaps it was experiencing the awesome natural beauty of a stunning area of Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley: the day and the hike were a truly memorable experience.